The clock ticks past midnight. Sleep is fleeting. We check our phones, take melatonin, and yet remain wide awake. Though we occasionally enjoy good rest, too often we find ourselves unable to disconnect from the artificial glow of screens—phones, tablets, and televisions that refuse to let our eyes close.
But this isn't just about blue light disrupting our circadian (internal clock) rhythms. It's about something deeper: we've replaced God's rhythm of rest with artificial rhythms of our own making.
An Uber driver's observation brought this crisis into sharp focus for me. During his early morning hours—between 3 and 4 a.m.—he frequently picked up young, sleepless passengers from late-night establishments. What troubled him wasn't the work itself, but the sheer number of young adults awake at hours meant for rest. Their sleeplessness, he suspected, was fueled by a culture of constant connection where screens had replaced the natural rhythms God designed.
The statistics confirm his observation. Insomnia has risen dramatically among adults aged 18-24, with the COVID-19 pandemic only intensifying this trend. We're witnessing a generation grappling with restless nights and mounting health consequences.
The Divine Design of Light and Rest
"Let there be light"—God's first recorded command established more than illumination. It set the foundational rhythm of work and rest that governs both the universe and our bodies. Long before laboratories measured photons or researchers mapped circadian rhythms, the infinite God designed each human being for a fruitful, flourishing life anchored in His patterns.
Light doesn't merely illuminate, it organizes. It separates day from night, establishes patterns of work and rest, and orders creation itself. Science confirms what Genesis teaches: our bodies are calibrated to respond to light, regulating alertness, hormone release, and sleep cycles according to the Creator's rhythm.
Yet we've disrupted this divine design. The blue light from our devices mimics daylight, signals the brain to stay alert, suppresses melatonin production, and delays sleep. The result is delayed rest with a cascade of fatigue, anxiety, and impaired health. We've chosen artificial light over divine rhythm, immediate stimulation over restorative rest.
When Sleep Becomes Elusive: A Personal Testament
This spring, pneumonia robbed me of easy sleep for several weeks. I dreaded the darkness—those hours that often brought fear, chaos, and breathing difficulties. Sitting on my couch, struggling for each breath, I faced a choice: Would I trust God's timing and persevere in His promises, or would I surrender to anxiety?
Scripture promises that "He gives His beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2) and that "all things work together for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28). Yet there I was, in a season where sleep wasn't perfect, where God's promises felt distant in the darkness.
In sleepless hours, I learned that sleeplessness can become an extended prayer meeting with God. When our minds race and our bodies refuse rest, we have an opportunity to meet with the One who "neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Psalm 121:4).
3 Biblical Models of Supernatural Rest
Scripture provides powerful examples of supernatural peace in impossible circumstances:
1. Peter's Prison Sleep:
The night before his trial, facing almost certain death at Herod's hands, Peter slept so deeply between two guards that an angel had to physically shake him awake (Acts 12). If I were facing execution, I'd be fearful, fretting, unable to close my eyes. Yet Peter rested in God's sovereignty even when circumstances screamed for panic.
2. Elijah's Restorative Rest:
After his spiritual victory on Mount Carmel and subsequent flight from Jezebel, Elijah collapsed in exhaustion. God didn't rebuke his weakness—He provided food, sleep, and restoration. God knew His prophet needed physical renewal before spiritual recommissioning (1 Kings 19).
3. Jesus in the Storm:
While His disciples panicked in a life-threatening tempest, Jesus slept peacefully in the boat's stern (Mark 4:35-41). When awakened, He didn't just calm the storm—He questioned their faith. His rest demonstrated complete trust in the Father's care, even amid chaos. And, Jesus had the authority to quiet the storm for his fearful disciples— “Peace, be still.”
The Greater Truth: Rest Beyond Biology
While blue light disruption and circadian rhythm disorders are real challenges affecting believers and non-believers alike, they point to a truth greater than biology: true rest is not merely about sleep health or optimal lighting. It's about surrendering body and soul to the One who controls both day and night.
David, writing while fleeing from King Saul's death threats, penned these words: "It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2). Even under mortal threat, David understood that rest comes not from perfect circumstances but from perfect trust. God’s gift of rest is not merely sleep, but a deep quieting of the heart that no fear can steal.
A Personal Testimony of God's Faithfulness
During a brutal Minnesota winter, my husband and I faced a four-year legal battle over our land. With zero-degree wind chill roaring outside our house, I heard something impossible: birds singing in the dead of winter. Simultaneously, the words of the hymn filled my mind: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."
That supernatural moment—hearing summer birds in winter's grip—painted a mental picture of God's care that allowed me to sleep. Throughout that entire ordeal, Psalm 24:1 glowed like neon lights off the page of Scripture: "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." God was orchestrating our outcome.
3 Ways to Manage Light and Embrace Peace
Blue light isn't inherently harmful—it's all about timing. The same light that helps wake us in the morning can sabotage sleep if we're not wise stewards. Here's how to align with God's design:
1. Evening Practices:
Put away devices 1-2 hours before bed. Create a prayer and Scripture reading routine. Practice surrendering daily anxieties to the Lord. Choose to trust God's care over endless scrolling
2. Middle-of-the-Night Strategies:
View sleepless hours as divine appointments for prayer. Recall God's faithfulness in Scripture and personal experience. Quote promises like Proverbs 3:24: "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."
3. Daily Rhythms:
Embrace morning light for natural awakening. Establish consistent sleep and wake times. Remember that even God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2-3). The creation account in Genesis 1 shows a striking pattern: each day begins with evening—“there was evening and there was morning.” God’s order places rest first, then work, while our modern patterns often flip it—work first, then rest. Scripture reminds us that renewal and strength flow out of rest, not frantic activity.
The Invitation to Deeper Rest
Jesus extends an invitation that transcends sleep hygiene: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).
This divine rest operates on multiple levels: Physical rest through alignment with God's created rhythms. Emotional rest through casting anxieties on Him who cares (1 Peter 5:7). Spiritual rest through trusting in His sovereign care. And soul rest through knowing our identity is secure in Christ.
Living the Reality
In our screen-saturated world, we must make intentional choices.
Choose divine rhythm over artificial stimulation. God's patterns of light and darkness, rest and work, weren't suggestions—they're design techniques for human flourishing.
Choose prayer over panic. When sleep eludes us, we can transform anxious hours into intimate conversations with our heavenly Father.
Choose Scripture over scrolling. Instead of feeding our minds with the world's chaos before bed, we can meditate on God's promises and character.
Choose trust over control. The same God who created light and established circadian rhythms can provide the rest we need, when we need it, according to His perfect timing.
Jeremiah the prophet, facing national judgment and personal anguish, received this promise: "For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish." Then he added, "At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me" (Jeremiah 31:25-26).
The Light That Never Dims
In a world obsessed with managing blue light and optimizing sleep cycles, believers have access to something far greater: the supernatural peace of God that transcends understanding (Philippians 4:7). Even in our darkest nights—literally and figuratively—we're reminded that "even the darkness is not dark to [God]; the night is bright as the day" (Psalm 139:12).
We are like sheep who desperately need our Shepherd, or we'd be in great danger on our own. But our Shepherd promises never to leave us. He leads us beside still waters and restores our souls—body, mind, and spirit—as we take time to pray, believe His Word, and trust that He is greater than any fear we face.
The choice is ours: artificial light that promises stimulation but delivers exhaustion, or the divine Light of the World who offers true rest for our souls. In choosing real peace over artificial light, we discover that the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps is perfectly capable of giving His beloved the rest they need.
Call to Action
Tonight, put away the screens earlier and choose prayer over scrolling. Recognize when sleeplessness comes, see it as a divine appointment rather than a frustration. Give your worries to God, Creator of light and darkness, who gave Peter peace in prison and sustained you through your own dark nights. Be assured, God is working even now to provide the rest your body needs. The artificial glow will always draw our attention. Only the Light of the World offers what you truly need: peace and rest that refreshes body, soul, and mind. Will you choose His rhythm over the world’s restless pace?
“Our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in You.” —Augustine
Photo Credit: Rob Hampson/Unsplash
